Aragon WSBK test: Sykes tops the timesheets

Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes has topped the Motorland Aragon World Superbike timesheets in the one-day official test at the circuit, lapping at 1’57.264 but was chased hard by the BMW of Marco Melandri, who won yesterday’s second race.

Sykes put in the equivalent of three race distances over the course of the day but Melandri was on a harder programme, with 68 laps under his belt to finish only 0.056s behind the Huddersfield man.

Ayrton Badovini, who nerfed Sykes off in the first race yesterday, was third but the best part of half a second off the pace with a resurgent Eugene Laverty in fourth place and his team-mate Max Biaggi in fifth, eight-tenths in arrears. Both the Aprilias put their best laps in during the cooler first session

Leon Haslam put his works BMW in sixth place on a 1’58.150, again in the first session, while Leon Camier was only one place behind in seventh. The former BSB Champion cited his problems yesterday stemmed from a lack of corner exit speed, a problem he has been suffering all season.

Jonathan Rea was eighth, Davide Guigliano ninth and Carlos Checa tenth. Chaz Davies, who bagged his debut podium yesterday, was down in 14th place but until we learn what the teams were trying to achieve, most of this means not very much.